Crackdown on pro-Western agents of influence continues in Azerbaijan

Leyla Yunus arrested

Mikhail Belyayev. Exclusively for VK

On July 30 the Azerbaijani authorities once again struck at the, so called, pro-Western "civil society", which now does not feel at home in this South Caucasus republic. Leyla Yunus was arrested as she tried to flee the country together with foreign diplomats. Before her unsuccessful escape, she ignored four calls to attend interrogations by the General Prosecutor's office. The law-enforcement agencies have been keeping an eye on the activist for several years. She called for the liberation of the terrorists from the Sadval group, convicted for launching a terrorist attack on the Baku metro in 1994. She even included the terrorists on a list of political prisoners submitted to European lawmakers.

The activist also supported the people responsible for promoting inter-ethnic hatred in the country, where people of different ethnic origins have always been treated as equals. For instance, Azerbaijani Jews have always been respected and cherished. Many of them now live in the United States or Israel. Remembering their past in Azerbaijan, these people contribute much to the development of the US-Azerbaijani and Israeli-Azerbaijani relations.  There has never been ethnic hatred in Azerbaijan, however, there are those who would be happy to change the situation for the worse.  Leyla Yunus supported not only terrorists from Sadval, but also Alikram Gumbatov.

The separatist Gumbatov, who has been sentenced to capital punishment, Yunus believes to be "a victim of the Azerbaijani authorities." The "victim" now lives in Holland and (not without help provided by the Armenian special services) tries to incite a separatist movement in southern part of the country. taking into consideration Leyla Yunus' past, it's quite clear why the law-enforcement agencies have started an investigation into her activities. The questions raised were quite numerous. Whose interests does she represent? Who supports her financially? Are her activities transparent? Is she an honest tax-payer? The results were remarkable. Yunus has been charged with high treason, tax evasion, fraud and illegal entrepreneurship. These are the charges she was arrested on.

It would be unwise to decide whether she has actually committed all these crimes before the lawsuit is over. However the very fact is quite eloquent. Tax evasion and illegal entrepreneurship are serious crimes. It seems like the law-enforcement agencies have been investigating her activities for a long time before bringing the charges. It seems probable that Yunus has embezzled foreign funds allocated for promoting democracy and human rights. One more activist and recipient of foreign financial aid, Rasul Dzhafarov, often pays visits to European capitals. A couple of years ago he launched a campaign named "Sing for Democracy", aimed at politicizing the Eurovision song contest held in Baku. Dzhafarov recently tried to flee the country as well. His bank accounts are now frozen.

It has been decided to turn to the harsh actions and inspections of pro-Western activists when relations between Azerbaijan and the West are far from being at their best. The Azerbaijani Ambassador to the OSCE, Ghalib Israfilov, has even openly responded to criticism coming from the United States by publicly reminding Americans about not fulfilling their obligations to close Guantanamo Bay prison. Former Ambassador of the U.S. to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar, after he made veiled comments about the possibility of a "Euromaidan" in Azerbaijan, has been highly criticized by the Azerbaijani government and Azerbaijani media. 

In general, starting from last year, Western institutions and initiatives in Azerbaijan have had a hard time. The status of the OSCE mission in Azerbaijan was downgraded to fulfilling the mission of a Project Coordinator, the Office of American Democrats NDI was promptly closed, while the University of Azad Fikir was temporarily closed. A pro-Western revolutionary youth organization known as Nida was also neutralized by the Azeri special services. Finally, the Eastern Partnership with the EU, developed by Poland and Sweden, was practically ignored by Baku, which did not express any desire to sign the association agreement. 

This is another reason for western politicians to reconsider their approach to their partners. The Azerbaijani government has consistently strengthened economic and political relations with the Kremlin and their actions have caused irritation in Western capitals. It is obvious that the foreign policy and the weakening of the positions of the West in the South Caucasus region result in the gradual loss of the positions of pro-Western agents of influence in Azerbaijan, especially when their activities violate local laws.

The arrest of Leyla Yunus, regardless of its legal framework, is just one of many manifestations of a greater political process ongoing in the region. However, it is another reason for Western politicians to reconsider their approaches to their partners in the post-Soviet space. One-sided criticism and attempts to bring "orange" revolutions there, as well as the sanctions and double standards applied by the EU and the United States with respect to post-Soviet republics, will not work in countries where the ruling elite have access to significant financial reserves and where there is a clear understanding of the national interests.